All-in-all, The Rocky Coast of Maine is a stand-alone triumph, fulfilling its own mythology in its own run time. It’s beautifully played, beautifully told and is a haunting testament to folk music songwriting. Lovely.
Music
This music is, by all accounts, the sort of near-trip-hop, meditative experience deep thinkers crave for a little calm & insight. What makes it stand out though, is the organic nature of the instrumentation, and the carefully selected structures that feed certain moments & flickers of soul & passion into the process.
The beautiful vocals on California Sunset mark Art Auré out as an exceptional and singular vocalist. The vocal range on display is highly accomplished, ranging from surprisingly low and intimate to fresh and impassioned, and the different vibrato speeds and incredibly elastic control are also extremely impressive.
Channeling Avici-style vibes, Take Me Back is an uptempo adrenalin-soaked rush through the sort of nostalgia-soaked lyrical adventures that have done very good business in recent years.
Voss Soss keeps gangsta rap alive with dark bars and a haunting yet mellow beat for this latest release.
Certain parts of Europe hold some of the absolute best raves in the world. This track takes you there, if you want it to. At the same time, there’s a calming ambiance throughout the piece, meaning it can be just as soothing as it is energizing – depending on what you need from it.
They write from a place of depth, and they craft their songs based on those intentions & feelings – they don’t sit down & say ‘let’s write a country song, let’s write something blues-rock’, the concept & the moment comes first, which gives them purpose, and a quickly unique vibe that runs throughout these four songs.
From a distance, there’s a simplicity to the sound – an easy pop groove that lights up the room as it should. The closer you get though, the more intently you listen, the taller those personal details and that truthfulness stand amidst the ambiance.
Tommy Ocean is not only an easy name to remember but one that proves more than worthwhile doing so once you’ve spent even just ten minutes with this album. There’s a certain purity to his sound, which fuses beautifully & authentically with the deeply considerate, honest & insightful manner in which he writes.
The combination of drums, piano, acoustic guitars and synth strings are arranged in a perky, staccato style that keeps proceedings marching along and provides punchy accompaniment to the smoothly-sung vocals. This is not painting by numbers, there’s some smart choices being made.
The sweet orchestration of the track; the masterful blending of strings and acoustic guitars is reminiscent of singer-songwriters like Boo Hewerdine, erstwhile of The Bible. The percussion elements are a very welcome addition, too – adding a little drive to proceedings – but the major feeling here is one of reflection and contemplation. Dive in and have a soak.
Fusing a little of The Temper Trap with Of Monsters and Men-style vocal pairing, and a poetic, melodically entrancing songwriting style fit for the likes of Coldplay, Miccoli introduce themselves with soul and strength on this album.